Edward m



(No ModeL) E. M. BENTLEY.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY PLOW.

' WITNESSES,

Patented Mar; 26, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWARD M. BENTLEY, or NEW Y ELECTRIC- RAI LWAY PLOW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,180, dated March 26, 1889. Application filed December 5, 1888, Serial No. 292,697. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD M. BENTLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railway Plows, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric railways in which the contact device is free to change its position relative to the vehicle; and its object is to provide suitable connections between the contact device and vehicle which will be readily extended and contracted, according to the movement of the contact device.

My invention therefore consists in certain novel extensible connections between the contact device and the car, as hereinafter described and claimed.

This invention I find of particular importance in a conduit system, where the plow is allowed a transverse movement relative to the vehicle, for the electrical connection must'in this system be such as to permit the travel of the plow from one extremity of its movement to the other, and the flexible conductor heretofore employed would be slack while the plow is moving back and forth, and would be liable to interfere with the moving parts or to drag on the ground and become detached. Th'e extensible connection, however, is an important factor in many other combinations, so that I do not intend to be confined to the specific way in which it is employed in this application. Many differengkinds of extensible connections also may be used besides the one herein shown, which consists of a link made of telescoping sections of conducting material, and is not easily broken or worn out. hen two links are employed, as in the drawings, they will brace the plow to some extent.

The accompanying sheet of drawings illustrates my invention, wherein Figure 1 is a front view of the plow, its guide, and the extensible connection, the conduit and conductors being shown in transverse section. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the link in longitudinal section, and Fig. 4: is a modification of the extensible connection.

A represents a car-beam or other suitable support, forming part of an electrically-propelled vehicle designed to travel over the railway.

0 is a contact device or plow movable relatively to the car.

D is a transverse guide, along which slides freely the supporting-head E of the plow.

The contact device or plow is capable of being shifted from point to point upon the vehicle as the requirements of the service demand, and while the sliding movement which the contact device has upon the vehicle through guide D and traveler E is one way.

of thus shifting the contact device it could be done in many other different ways as well.

F is a conduit which maybe placed outside of or between the-rails, and in which two sup ply-conductors are inclosed.

B B are the two extensible connections, attached at their ends to the plow and car, respectively, and consisting of telescoping sections of metal, as many in number as may be desired. These links are connected to the contact-shoes through a couple of contactconductors embedded in an insulating-panel, and form the electrical connections leading to the vehicle. They also serve to brace the plow, and their upper ends are joined to the car by universal joints, permitting freedom of movement in all directions.

A spring, H, may be employed in connection with the extensible links, as shown in Fig. 4.-

1 claim as my invention 1. The combination of a vehicle and a contact device for engagement with a supplyconductor, with an intermediate mechanical connection permitting movement of the contact device relative to the vehicle, and an extensible electrical connection between the contact device and vehicle.

2. The combination of a vehicle and a guide thereon with the contact device movable along said guide, and an extensible connection between the contact device and the vehicle.

3. The combination of the vehicle with a contact device capable of being shifted from point to point upon the vehicle, andan extensible connection between the contact device and the vehicle.

4. The combination of the vehicle and a transverse guide thereon with a contact device movable along said guide, and an extensible electrical connection between the contact device and vehicle.

5. The combinatioi'i, in an electric railway, of two line-conductors anda collector having contact-surfaces engaging with said conductors with extensible connections in circuit with said contact-surfaces and leading to the vehicle.

(3. The combinatic'm of a vehicle with a contact device having a sliding movement thereupon and a connecting-link between the con tact device and the vehicle, consisting of two or more sections extensible to one another.

7. The combination of a vehicle with a contact device capable of being shifted from point to point upon the vehicle, and acon necting-link between the contact device and the vehicle, cons ting of a plurality of sections of conducting material extensibly connected together.

8. The combination of the conduit, the in closed conductor, the vehicle, and transverse guide thereon, with the contact device movable along said guide, and an extensible connection between the contact device and the vehicle.

9. The combination of the conduit, the inclosed supply-conductors, the vehicle, and transverse guide thereon, with the plow movable along said guide, the contact-conductors carried by said plow, and the extensible electrical connections leading therefrom to the vehicle.

10. The combination of the conduit and inclosed supply-conductor with a contact device movable relatively to the vehicle, and an intermediate extensible connection one end of which is connected to the contact device and the other to the car.

11. The combination of the vehicle, a conduit, an inclosed conductor, and acontact device therefor, with a mechanical (:onnection permitting movement of the contact device relatively to the vehicle and an extensible electrical connection between the contact device and the vehicle.

12. The combination of the vehicle, a conduit, and inclosed conductor, with a plow or current collector movable laterally relative to the vehicle and an extensible connectio between the plow and vehicle.

13. The combination of the conduit, the inclosed conductor, the vehicle, and contact device capable of being shifted from point to point upon the vehicle, with an extensible connection between the contact device and vehicle.

14:. The combination of a conduit, a conductor therein, and a contact device with an electrical connection between the contact device and car, consisting of telescopim sections of conducting material.

The combination of the conduit and inclosed conductor with a vehicle, a cont-act device connected thereto, and an extensible link between the contact device and the vehicle.

1h. The combination of a vehicle and a plow having a movable connection therewith with extensible links leading from each side ot' the plow to the vehicle and bracing the plow.

17. The cmnbination, in an electric railway, of the vehicle, the conduit, and inclosed conductor, with the contact device therefor and a C(Hll'lGChlllg-llllk between the contact device and vehicle connected to one of them by a universal joint, thereby permitting freedom of movement.

1b. The combination, in an electric railway, of a vehicle and a contact device connected thereto, with a conduit, an inclosed conductor, and an electrical connection between the contact device and vehicle, consisting of an ex tensible link of conducting material and a universal-joint attachment for the same.

10. The combination of the conduit and inclosed. eoilductor with the traimversely-moving contact device for the same, and an ex tensible spring-connection leading to the vehicle.

20. The combination of the conduit and in closed conductor with the plow, a mechanical connection permitting transverse movement of the plow, and an extensible spring electrical connection between the plow and vehicle.

EDWARD M. BENTLEY.

\Vitnesses:

JULIEN M. ELLIOT, S. M. (/AULDXVELL. 

